Each mobile terminal such as a mobile phone and smart phone provides various functions, such as a wireless Internet function, an electronic scheduler function, a multimedia photographing and reproduction function, a game function, and a digital broadcasting function, in addition to a basic communication function. Because each of these mobile terminals has a battery generally to allow for portability from a fixed power source, it is necessary to charge the battery periodically. In general, a wire charging method using a cable to charge the battery is most common. However, recently, as a Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) technology has been developed. A wireless charging device, which may wirelessly charge a battery, has been commercialized and come into wide use.
The WPT technology is classified into an electromagnetic induction type and an electronic resonance type. There is no direct contact of electrodes in the electromagnetic induction type. However, if a transmitting side and a receiving side must be very close, they may transmit and receive power. Accordingly, if the transmitting side (e.g., generally, referred to as a wireless charging pad) for transmitting energy and the receiving side (e.g., an electronic device such as a smart phone) for receiving energy must come in contact with each other, the receiving side may be charged. On the other hand, the electromagnetic resonance type is a method of supplying power to an electronic device which is spaced apart from a power source at a certain distance. Accordingly, although a transmitting side and a receiving side do not come in contact with each other, the receiving side may be charged.
On the other hand, if a user of an electronic device moves to a specific place (home or office), he or she recognizes only that the electronic device is wirelessly charged in the specific place where he or she knows of the location of a wireless charging pads and does not receive information about a wireless charging pads in other non-specific locations.
Because a distance between the wireless charging pad and an electronic device using a wireless charging type will increase in the future through the use of electromagnetic resonance wireless charging, there is a strong possibility that the user will use wireless charging in public places. In this environment, if information about the wireless charging pad is not provided to the user through the electronic device, it will be difficult for him or her to recognize a position of the wireless charging pad. Also, because information about the wireless charging efficiency of wireless charging pads in relation to the electronic device is not provided to the user, although the wireless charging efficiency may be low, the user may not properly adjust the correspondence between wireless charging pads and the electronic device to increase the wireless efficiency. For example, because wire charging efficiency is lower than wireless charging efficiency, when a battery consumption amount is less than a wireless charging amount, a power source of the electronic device may be turned off while the electronic device is wirelessly charged. Also, it may be difficult for the user to recognize whether the electronic device is being wirelessly charged.
As described above, because information about the wireless charging pad is not provided to the electronic device, the user of the electronic device may not recognize a position of the wireless charging pad. Accordingly, although the user finds the position of the wireless charging pad, it is difficult for him or her to ascertain efficiency of wireless charging.
Therefore, a method and apparatus for visually providing information about the wireless charging pad to the user and efficiently and wirelessly charging the electronic device is provided.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.